Manual / Issue three: Circus

by: RISD Museum

Publication date: 2014

Usage: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

Topics: RISD Museum, Rhode Island School of Design, Manual: a journal about art and its making, Andrew Martinez, Gina Borromeo, Rebecca Schneider, Thangam Ravindranathan, Gwen Strahle, Daniel Heyman, Susan Smulyan, Alison W. Chang, Michelle Clayton, Jim Drain, Ellen McBreen

Collection: magazine_contributions; magazine_rack

Language: English

The third issue of Manual turns a spotlight on the circus. “How can a circus be held in print?” you may ask. Indeed, prepare to be astounded. You’ll find tumbling acrobats, unsettling sideshows, ferocious beasts, fantastical costumes, and entrancing feats of grace and strength within these pages, we assure you, but perhaps not in ways you would expect. Step up and let the spectacle unfold before you.

From the Files: RISD archivist Andrew Martinez discusses costumed balls at RISD, and being anything that you are not.

Double Takes: Curator Gina Borromeo and theater professor Rebecca Schneider marvel over an ancient Roman gaming piece.

French studies professor Thangam Ravindranathan and artist Gwen Strahle train their gazes on Edy-Legrand’s Crowd at the Circus.

Printmaker Daniel Heyman and historian Susan Smulyan present for your enjoyment an early circus poster (oversized foldout).

Object Lessons: Mellon fellow Alison W. Chang puts “otherness” on display in Max Beckmann’s Annual Fair.

Comparative literature scholar Michelle Clayton draws out possible hidden meanings in Tissot’s portrayal of glamorous Parisian charioteers.

Portfolio: Remarkable pairings to delight and edify.

Artist on Art: Jim Drain’s elephant.

How To: Art historian Ellen McBreen goes behind the scenes, explaining the story behind Matisse’s elephant.

Manual: a journal about art and its making, a twice-yearly journal, uses the collections, exhibitions, and collaborations of the RISD Museum as an impetus for essays and interviews, artist interventions, and archive highlights. A fusion of academic arts journal and design magazine, Manual is a resource for engaged conversations about art, design, and the impact of creative making by curators, artists, scholars and educators.